Let’s talk about mental health

Dan Rolph - Exeter Examiner Editor

By Dan Rolph

With September being World Suicide Prevention Month, I think it’s important that we take a moment to discuss the topic of mental health with transparency and honesty.

Throughout my career covering the news in this community, every discussion I’ve been a part of regarding mental health has had one theme as its focus — the stigma that exists around mental health and how we can overcome it.

I suppose I’ve always had a somewhat unique view when it comes to mental health and that stigma that so many experience. I grew up in a household where mental health wasn’t a topic we shied away from. It was one that was embraced. My father would speak openly to us about his own experiences going through psychotherapy as a younger man and how important it was to receive help.

It’s not until I was older that I began to understand that kind of openness isn’t so commonplace.

We very often feel comfortable speaking about our health when it comes to most physical ailments. We’ll discuss the harsh realities of a cancer diagnosis, explain in detail the pain of an injury, or often speak about our experiences using certain medications to those around us willing to listen.

Yet when the topic is mental health, the norm seems to usually be silence and avoidance.

The realities of mental health are in the term itself. It is a vital part of our health, no different from any other ailment you may seek medical attention to address.

At least that’s how it should be.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada (the national non-profit created in 2007 by the federal government) estimates 60 per cent of those with a mental health problem or illness don’t seek help, largely driven by a fear of the stigma that surrounds the subject.

It’s a staggering reality that the majority of those navigating mental health struggles choose to do so in silence. What I find so staggering about that reality is that it’s one we can, as a community, choose to address, yet we often fail to do so.

I think back to a moment I witnessed in 2019 when former TSN broadcaster Michael Landsberg came to Lucan to speak about his own struggles with depression and anxiety after tragedy struck in the community. Landsberg looked out toward a packed auditorium at the Lucan Biddulph Community Memorial Centre and asked those in the audience to raise their hand if they were living with a mental illness or cared about someone who did.

The number of hands that went up in that moment was staggering. I may not have an official count, but I’d wager it was the majority of those in the community centre that night.

I bring this up because it was an unfortunately rare reminder for those in our community struggling that they are not alone in what they face every day. The world can far too often feel isolating, and mental illness is perhaps one of the most isolating experiences known.

But if that night showed anything it is that silence can be broken when people are willing to reach out, have open discussions and show a willingness to care though their actions. It can make a difference.

That is why we need to be kind, be thoughtful, be open and be honest. Ask the people in your life how they are really doing and be ready for an answer that may be difficult to hear. Speak about mental health with the same care and seriousness we give to physical health. Challenge stigma when you hear it, support those who are struggling, and remind them with your words and actions that they do not have to face those struggles alone.

And for anyone reading this who is struggling with their own mental health, I won’t pretend that one column can fix what you are facing every day. I do hope, however, that it can serve as a reminder that your life has meaning, and there is no shame in asking for help.

Elsewhere in this issue you will find information outlining some of the supports available in our community.